


Camelot's Magical Food

by TsingaDark



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 15:23:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10596795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsingaDark/pseuds/TsingaDark
Summary: Arthur Pendragon, famous restaurant critic, decides to pay Merlin's restaurant Camelot's Magical Food a visit and thus causes the Great Turkey Chaos to happen.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Camelot's Magical Food](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/283158) by TsingaDark. 



> i wrote this ages ago but I started re-watching Merlin last week and I felt the sudden need to translate some of my older works (I miss this show so much, I definitely need to write some more fanfics about it)

“Merlin!” Will screamed, who came running into the kitchen like a scared up chicken, startling Merlin so badly that he almost tossed the pan he had in his hand, plus its contents, into the air. Fortunately, he could suppress his initial reaction just in time and therefore didn’t destroy the almost finished roasted chicken breast for the Pollo Cacciatore.

Will, who was apparently too worked up to notice that he’d almost given Merlin a heart attack, fanned a piece of paper in Merlin’s face.

“Merlin!” he yelled anew, seemingly incapable of saying anything else.

“Yes, that’s my name,“ Merlin replied calmly and transferred the chicken breast from the pan onto a plate.

“Arthur Pendragon!” was the name that came out of Will’s mouth this time.

Merlin stopped short. It could never mean anything good if someone said that name, _especially_ in a restaurant.

Arthur Pendragon was Camelot’s probably most famous restaurant critic. Not only because he looked drop-dead gorgeous (and that wasn’t only Merlin’s weird taste in men, after all Arthur had been named Sexiest Critique by Exquisite Cuisine magazine in 2014, as Merlin liked to bring in as an argument), but also because he wrote the most honest reviews. Which in turn were also the most feared ones since Arthur mentioned every little mishap.

“What?” Merlin asked, baffled. „Has he dragged down our competition so much that we can’t save ourselves from streams of people?”

“No, he’s sitting at table number 14 and has ordered the roasted pumpkin bruscetta as a starter, the Milan turkey as a main and the melted chocolate-praline-cake as dessert,” Will blurted out.

Merlin could only stare at him. Had he understood correctly that Arthur Pendragon was sitting in his restaurant to test his food and to write an article about it afterwards?!

Judging from the look on Will’s face he’d just said all of that out loud and had possibly raised his voice quite a bit as he’d come to the end.

Oh _God_. His life was over. Not that Merlin thought he was a bad chef. No, he was, in fact, a quite brilliant chef, but how could he prepare the perfect food for Arthur Pendragon, the critic who had something to complain about everything? Was that even possible?

„GO!“ Will yelled at him after Merlin had not moved in the last minute, just like one of those ancient roman marble statues. Out of shock he’d even forgotten to breathe.

When Will finally shoved him so hard that Merlin almost dropped the pan again because it made him trip over his own two feet, Merlin took action. He instructed Elyan to finish the Pollo Cacciatore and turned his attention to Arthur’s order.

As fast as never before, he conjured the – in his opinion – most beautiful bruscetta with sweet pumpkin, lemonlike ricotta, seasonal vegetables and aged balsamic vinegar he’d ever prepared, and put it on a plate that he immediately pressed into Will’s hand to bring Arthur.

By concentrating on what he loved doing – namely food – Merlin was able to ban the thought out of his mind that he was cooking for the most feared food critic and not for the lovely old lady next door for a while at least.

After he’d placed the turkey, filled with prosciutto and fontal cheese, on a plate, he eyed his masterpiece. Preferably, he would’ve eaten the turkey himself instead of giving it to the pompous (but good-looking) restaurant critic, who wouldn’t even savour the meal, only find fault in it.

Merlin was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice Will was stood next to him until the latter said his name.

“And?” Merlin asked, but when Will grimaced, he instantly changed his mind. “No, nevermind, don’t tell me. Mr I-have-to-find-fault-in-everything would probably not even like a meal cooked by Juan Amador himself,” he grumbled.

“You know what, I’m going to serve him the main course myself,” he added just as Will was about to take the plate with the Milan turkey.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Will replied and tried to grab the plate anew, but Merlin shifted it to his other hand so that it was out of reach of his best friend’s hands.

“I think it’s an _excellent_ idea.” With those words Merlin strutted out of the kitchen. He was glad that he’d been a server when he’d opened the restaurant, so that he still knew which table was positioned where.

Arthur had chosen a table beside one of the big windows from which one had a fantastic view over the city. Merlin hoped that he at least had nothing to complain about in that regard.

However, he could already see from afar that Arthur did not seem to be thrilled. The plate with the half-eaten bruscetta had been pushed to the side and he stared at his phone with arched eyebrows, while quickly moving his fingers over the touchscreen.

Merlin became more and more furious with every step he took. What did this guy think to come to Merlin’s restaurant and taking the right to criticise his food, which was made with _love_ , by the way?! He should simply hurl the turkey at his face, at least then he’d have something to write about that people would actually take an interest in!

One second later, Merlin wished he’d never had that thought. Because as it had to have happened, some sort of supernatural force overheard him and thought it to be a brilliant idea.

It happened as if in slow motion, just as Merlin was one metre away from Arthur, him looking up and spotting Merlin, that he tripped over his own feet and fell directly on top of Arthur. At least the turkey didn’t actually hit Arthur in the face, but it was a close call.

A few seconds after Merlin’s fall – in which he wished that a knife would please fall onto him and kill him instantly – there was a dead silence in the entire restaurant. There wasn’t even a single sound coming from the kitchen.

However, as fast as the silence had come, it went. Merlin tried to pick himself up but accidentally supported himself against Arthur’s arm and apologised steadily.

“What the hell?” Arthur said, dumbfounded. He was still lying on the ground, looking like a stranded starfish. Still sexy though, as Merlin noticed to his discontent.

„Oh God, I’m so sorry!“ Merlin exclaimed and tried to remove parts of the turkey that had landed on Arthur’s no doubt outrageously expensive dress shirt.

“You idiot!” Arthur yelled and picked himself up of the floor.

When Merlin looked around, he realised that several guests were already looking at them. That really wasn’t good.

“I’m really sorry,” he said anew and started picking up the food off the floor. To his surprise, Arthur knelt down as well, but instead of helping Merlin, he stopped him by taking Merlin’s hands into his own.

“Merlin,” Arthur said quietly but determinedly. Merlin couldn’t help but look up at that.

“Yes?”

Arthur gazed at him so intensely with gloriously blue eyes that it took his breath away. He wouldn’t ever get used to Arthur looking at him like that.

“It’s okay, you buffoon,” Arthur said eventually, and that was everything Merlin had needed to hear. He was still sad about the wasted turkey whose individual parts were sorrowfully spread on the floor around them, but he couldn’t stop the smile working its way up on his face.

“You could’ve told me you were planning on coming by,” Merlin replied, grinning. “I would’ve given you one of the more hidden tables so you wouldn’t have had the feeling everyone was staring at you. Though, knowing you, you probably like that.”

Merlin let his hands slip out of Arthur’s and continued were he’d stopped. After all, he could hardly let the food remain lying around on the floor.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Arthur said suddenly, and Merlin paused.

“You’ve definitely managed that,” Merlin admitted. “But, you know, most people would deem something like a candlelight dinner or a weekend trip to Italy more romantic than a visit during work.” He looked over to his boyfriend to see a light blush dusting Arthur’s cheeks.

“I just wanted to taste your food,” Arthur said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “How could I have known that Will would immediately recognise me and let you know?”

“But…” Merlin said, furrowing his brows, “But I cook for you all the time!”

Arthur looked around, discomfort clearly visible on his features. Only now Merlin realised that they were still kneeling on the floor of his restaurant, amidst bits of turkey, and were not, in fact, sitting on the sofa in Merlin’s flat. Arthur, too, must’ve had that realisation as his blush deepened.

Merlin decided to take pity on Arthur and pulled him up with him. “It’s okay. I’ll bring you the same again,” he said with a smile. „Or maybe I’ll let Will bring it. Throwing food at you for a second time is probably not the best idea. And then I can instruct him to clean all of this up, too,” he added, gesturing towards the chaos around them. “He is my employee, after all.”

Merlin found that it was also a good punishment for bringing him into this predicament in the first place.

“See you later?” Merlin asked and turned to leave after Arthur’s confirming nod, but then he was stopped by a hand wrapping around his wrist.

“Merlin, wait,” was the only warning he got before he was pressed against Arthur’s warm body and felt Arthur’s lips on his. The kiss was over far too soon but Merlin was pretty sure he’d be receiving more of those later once he’d closed the restaurant for the day.

“See you later,” Arthur said with a smile.

“See you later,” Merlin echoed. He couldn’t suppress the smile making its way onto his lips. It probably made him look like a mad man as he stumbled back into the kitchen and pressed the bits of turkey he’d already picked up into Will’s hands.

“If you don’t have anything to do at the moment, please clean up that mess outside. I need to cook!” he exclaimed, ignoring his confused-looking friend, and positioned himself in front of the stove.

He just hoped that when Arthur eventually wrote an article about _Camelot’s Magical Food_ , it wouldn’t mention the Great Turkey Chaos.


End file.
